Biography of Confucius

Author: Zhang Zongshun et al. / Country of Origin:
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-08-01
Features: Excerpt The left side of the character for "leopard" () is the left side of the character for "leopard" (), and the right side is the character for "qu". Confucius learned about his father's background and other details from his mother, Wanyu, and possibly from others. This made him feel proud and excited. He believed that his father, a famous warrior who had also served as a local official in the state, could help improve his current impoverished and helpless situation, or even help him return to the noble class. However, he soon realized that he was too naive and that society was not as simple as he had imagined. His beautiful fantasies were just daydreams. He was humiliated for attending a banquet without proper invitation. In the seventh year of Duke Zhao of Lu, which was also the 17th year of Confucius's life, Ji Wuzi (Ji Sun) of Lu, the ruling minister, held a banquet to entertain the scholars (). Confucius, without proper invitation, attended the banquet and was rejected, which greatly shocked him. The scholar () was a social class in the feudal society of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. During the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, the feudal system was implemented, with the Son of Heaven, feudal lords, and high ministers distributing their sons, younger sons, or clan brothers to establish smaller branches, forming a four-tiered feudal noble system: Son of Heaven—Feudal Lord—High Minister—Scholar. The scholar was the lowest tier in this feudal noble system. Socially and politically, the scholar stood between the high minister and the common people. Although their status was not high, they were still nobles and the starting point for entering the upper class. Economically, most scholars owned some land, with "a salary sufficient to replace their farming," allowing them to live without working. Culturally, they had the right to education and could receive the "Six Arts" education of rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, as well as learning the "Book of Songs." Ji Wuzi was the head of the Lu government, holding absolute power in the state. His banquet for the scholars was naturally for political reasons. If we talk about the more direct reasons at the time, it may be related to the fact that when the Lu ruler went abroad, the minister Meng Xizi was unable to perform the proper etiquette. Originally, King Ling of Chu built a tall Zhanghua Terrace. In the seventh year of Duke Zhao, the terrace was completed. King Ling of Chu wanted to gather the rulers of all the feudal states for a dedication ceremony. After receiving the invitation, Duke Zhao of Lu, out of fear of Chu's power, naturally dared not refuse to attend. During such assemblies, there were complex rituals. Naturally, there was no lack of cunning and strategy, so when the ruler went abroad for an assembly, a minister familiar with etiquette was chosen to serve as the etiquette officer. When Duke Zhao attended the assembly, he chose the minister Meng Xizi (Zhongsun) as the etiquette officer. However, as the deputy envoy, Meng Xizi was not skilled in etiquette. When passing through Zheng, the ruler of Zheng, Jian Gong, comforted Duke Zhao and his entourage at the city gate, Meng Xizi did not know how to perform the proper etiquette. Upon arriving in Chu, King Ling of Chu held a suburban ceremony to welcome Duke Zhao, but Meng Xizi still did not know how to respond. King Ling of Chu hosted a banquet for Duke Zhao on the newly built Zhanghua Terrace, with strong and robust men serving as the etiquette officer, and even gave Duke Zhao of Lu the valuable Chu bow, the Great Curve Bow. However, soon after, King Ling of Chu regretted his decision and wanted to the bow. The Grand Minister of Chu, Wei Qiqiang, heard about this and went to see Duke Zhao of Lu. Duke Zhao happily discussed the Great Curve Bow with Wei Qiqiang. Upon hearing this, Wei Qiqiang solemnly bowed in congratulations. Duke Zhao asked, "Why are you bowing so respectfully?" Wei Qiqiang replied, "King Qi, King Jin, and King Yue have long wanted to obtain this bow, but our king did not specially send it to them. Now, however, he has sent it to you. You must guard this treasure carefully against the three neighboring states. How could I not bow respectfully in congratulations?" Hearing this, Duke Zhao became frightened and returned the bow to King Ling of Chu. Lu, the state of the Duke of Zhou who created the rites and music, was a famous land of rites and music in the East of the Zhou Dynasty. However, the ruler and his ministers made a great fool of themselves in a grand foreign diplomatic setting, which was indeed a great disgrace at the time. This incident greatly shocked the Lu government. After returning home, Meng Xizi resolved to study etiquette and pay attention to learning from those who understood it. Ji Wuzi's banquet for the scholars was likely inspired by this incident, prompting him to treat the scholars with respect and seek out those skilled in etiquette. Confucius, with little experience in the world, was delighted to hear about Ji Wuzi's banquet for the scholars. He might have thought that his father was a warrior who had served as the magistrate of Zouyi in Lu and that he had studied some etiquette, making him qualified to attend such a banquet. Moreover, attending such an event would greatly help him make connections and increase his reputation. Once he entered the upper class, his social status would change, and his living conditions would improve. Therefore, he "wore a mourning sash and hurriedly went to attend the banquet." A mourning sash () was a type of hemp bandage worn in ancient funeral attire. The one worn at the head was called the "head sash," and the one worn at the waist was called the "waist sash." Confucius was carrying a set of classics, but when he arrived at Ji Wuzi's house, he was stopped by Yang Hu, a retainer of Ji Wuzi. Yang Hu said, "Ji Wuzi is entertaining the scholars, but he dares not entertain you, you." Hearing Yang Hu's words, Confucius felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and his excitement instantly vanished. He could only silently leave. This was the first time Confucius had encountered humiliation since his mother's death. This incident undoubtedly dealt a great blow to the young Confucius. This setback made Confucius taste the bitterness of failure at a young age. Whether because he attended the banquet in mourning attire or because the upper class excluded him from the scholars, he realized that one must be cautious in dealing with matters and know when to advance and retreat. Therefore, Confucius "retreated."① Confucius realized that the upper class did not regard him as a scholar. To establish himself in society, gain a certain status, and return to the noble class, he could only rely on his own efforts and become strong in life. The difficult living environment tempered him. It made Confucius stubborn and resilient. The setbacks became the underlying motivation for his determination to strive and study hard, resolving to rely on his own efforts to open a path to the future. Since his mother's death, the teenage Kong Qiu had been alone, struggling to make a living. It was hard for a child to support himself, and his loneliness and hardships were immense. The suffering of body and mind, the indifference of society, all tempered Confucius. Although Confucius was in adversity, he was not defeated by misfortune. Instead, the hardships of life made his character stubborn and his will strong, determined to become an adult and independent, even dreaming of becoming an outstanding figure like the Duke of Zhou. He silently endured the tempering of the lower classes and the hardships of adversity, growing into an adult day by day. At the age of 19, Kong Qiu had likely grown tall. That year, he got married.② His wife, whose surname was Qi Guan, was also from Song. According to the "Record of the Lu Minister Han Qi Exempting the Qi Guan Family from Taxes and Repairing the Vessels" (also known as the "Stele of Rites"), Qi Guan's family was in Lu, so the Lu Minister Han Qi exempted their descendants from taxes. This shows that Qi Guan's origin as a person from Song was like Kong Qiu's self-proclaimed identity as a person from Yin—his ancestors had moved from Song to Lu, not that Qi Guan's family was originally in Song. After getting married, Kong Qiu also enjoyed the happiness of family life. Qi Guan accompanied him day and night, taking care of his food and clothing. Although their life was still poor, the days passed more happily. Although the love between husband and wife could not replace the love between mother and child, nor could the love between mother and child replace the love between husband and wife. The unique love of his wife brought Kong Qiu happiness.